Driving mechanism



DRIVING MECHANISM Filed April l, 1931 3, SheeS-Sheet 1 prl E?, w34. A. L. ELLIS Er AL DRIVING MECHANISM Filed April 1. 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet KRW mwN

April 17, i934. 'A vELUS Er AL 1,955,540

`DRIVING MECHANISM Filed April l,l 1931 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 2 3 7J-,W52 f8@ Patented Apr. 17, 1.934

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,955,540 DRIVING MCHANISM Application April 1, 1931, Serial No. 526,877

9 Claims.

The invention relates to mechanisms for operating machines or machine elements and has for its object to provide a variable speed drive, of the hydraulic type, whereby a plurality .of ma- 5, chines or machine elements may be operated at relatively fixed ratios in a simple and efcient manner. The invention contemplates particularly the provision of a mechanism whereby predetermined tension may be applied to the product during manufacture thereof, to prestretch the same and to thereby avoid the necessity for rearrangement and redimensioning of such product after it has become stretched in actual service.

Other more specific objects will appear from the i5 description hereinafter and the features oi novelty will be pointed out 'in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several examples of the invention without deiining its limits, Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of a machine for making wire ropes and the like with the novel driving mechanism embodied therein; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of apaper Winding machine embodying the novel features; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is an end elevation thereof partly in section; and Fig. 6 is a detailrview, partly in section, of one element of a preferred hydraulic gear included in the present invention.

In the form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the novel driving mechanism is embodied in a stranding machine for making wire rope, for which it is specially adapted, it being understood that the illustrated machine is intended to also exemplify other types of machines arranged to manufacture or co-operate with a product having the continuity of a rope, and that it does not dene the limits oi the iorm of the invention under discussion.

The wire rope stranding machine may be of any conventional type and as diagrammatically illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises a cylindrical cage or spider 10 journalled in suitable bearings 11 and having the customary spools 12 mounted thereon in any conventional manner; the spools 12 carry the wires 13 which pass through a control die 14 where said wires are combined in the well known way with a core which passes through the hollow shaft 15. The latter is driven, to

rotate the spider 10, from any suitable source of power such as an electric motor 16, with the driving shaft of which said shaft is connected for instance by means of a chain drive 17 or its equivalent.

The twisted or stranded rope formed in the die 14 is drawn through said die by means of a capstan drum 18 in accordance with the usual construction and operation of wire rope stranding machines.

As shown in Fig. 2 the drum 18 is connected 60 by means of suitable gearing 19, and a conventional form of reduction gearing 20 with a hydraulic motor 21 to which fluid under pressure is circulated from a fluid pressure pump 22 as will appear more fully hereinafter. The illustrated 6E machine further includes a second capstan drum 23 located at a distance from and in alinement with the drum 18, as shown in Fig. 2, and oonnected by means of suitable gearing 24 and any suitable form of reduction gearing 25 with a 70 second hydraulic motor 26. 'I 'he hydraulic motors 21 and 26 are connected with each other and with the fluid pressure pump 22 in series by means of pipes 27 so that the uid from the pump 22 will circulate through both of the motors 75 21 and 26; the pump 22 may be operated from any suitable source of power and in the illustrated example is connected by means of a chain drive 28 or its equivalent, with the drive shaft o! the electric motor 16.

The iiuid pressure pump 22 and the hydraulic motors 21 and 26 form the units of a hydraulic speed gear oi the well known Waterbury type, in which the pump is generally referred to as the A-end and the motor as the Beend. The A-end and B-ends are of similar construction in that each comprises a rotating barrel 29 having a plurality oi cylinders 30 in which pistons 31 are mounted for reciprocation, said barrel 29 being carried by the driving shaft 29a ol each unit. The pistons 3l are connected by means of piston rods 32 with swash plates 33 rotatably mounted in tilting boxes -34 so that inA operation iiuid will pass into and out or said cylinders 30 through ports 35; the latter are arranged to register successively with suitable ports in the valve plate 36 whereby communication is established and out oi between said cylinders 30 and the pipes 27 in the well known way. Y

In the illustrated example the tilting box of the motor or B-end 21 is held at a ilxed inclination while the tilting boxes oi the pump or A-end 22 and the motor or B-end 26 may be adjusted `to different angles of inclination by means of a control shaft 37 to thereby vary the speed of 105 said units..

The speed of rotation of the motors 21 and 26 may be simultaneously varied by changing the adjustment of the tilting box 34 of the pump 22, While in addition the speed of rotation of the one or the other direction accordingly as theN tilting box is tilted in either direction from its` rightangle or neutral position. Any suitable i means may be used for actuating the control shaft 37 to effect adjustment of the tilting box 34, the

example disclosed in the drawings showing for this purpose a hand Wheel 38 and mechanism 39 for instance such as disclosed in United States Patent No. 1,680,985 of August 14, 1928.

In addition to the parts so far described the machine shown in Figs. 1 and 2V preferably includes a pressure gauge 40 located and arranged so as to be operatively effected by the pressure developed by the motor 26; in the illustrated example the gage 40 is located in connection with the one port of said motor 26 as diagrammatically indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The gage 40may be of any suitable construction and preferably is of the recording type which includes a chart on which the operations of the gage are recorded; in any case said gage 40 constitutes means for'visibly indicating the tension or pull which is being exerted upon the rope 41 as it passes ,from the drum 18 to the drum 23 in the manner to be more fully set forth hereinafter.

In practice, the material which is to form the core of the Wire rope 4l is passed through the hollow shaft 15 and die 14 and wound about the capstan drum -18 and either secured to the capstan drum 23 in any conventional manner, or coiled about the same for transmittal to another point and the wires 13 are threaded through said die 14 in the usual Way. The motor 16 being set in motion the spider 10 Will be rotated by means of the chain drive 17 or its equivalent and at the same time the pump 22 will be actuated through the umedium of the chain drive 28 or its equivalent. Assuming that the control shaft 37 has been adjusted to cause iluid to be pumped by the pump 22, in the direction indicated-by the arrows in Figs. 1 and 2, this will bring about the actuation of the motors 21 and 26 which are connected in series with each other and with said pump. The motor 21 will through the mediurn of the reduction gearing 20 and gearing 19 operate the capstan drum 18 and vat the same time the motor 26 through its gearing 26 and 24 will actuate the capstan drum 23. It will be understood that the tilting boxA of the motor 26 is adjusted by means of its hand wheel 38 and associated mechanism to an inclination different from the fixed angle of the tilting box `of 'the motor 21, and of such degree as to cause the motor 26 to be operated at-a predetermined greater speed than the motor 21, so that said motors may be said to be differential motors, the rotation of both being in the same direction.

As the operation continues the capstan 18 will' draw the wire rope throughthe die 14 at a speed in accordance with the setting ofthe tilting box 34 of the pump 22 which is predetermined by the pitch or lay of the strands desiredin the flnished rope. At the same time the relatively greater speed at whichv the capstan drum 23 is driven will place that portion of the rope which extends between the two drums 18 and 23 under tension and accordingly will subject the rope as it travels from the drum 18 to the drum 23 to a stretching action or in other words will prestretch said rope. When the drum 23 is pulling the rope as above set forth the capstan drum 18 will operate at a reduced load; if the speed of the drum 23 is sufficiently higher than that of the drum 18, the latter may actually function as a brake, and if it does not, its controlling motor 21 may become in the nature of a pump and in conjunction with the vpump 22 operate to drive the motor 26 and its associated drum 23.

With the type of transmission consisting of the pump 22 and motors 21 and 26 the oil or other fluid pressure developed therein is a direct measure of the torque being transmitted by the unit, while the combination of oil pressure and speed is a direct' measure of the horse power. It is thus possible with the illustrated arrangement to develop a formula which will give the pull exerted on the rope 41 or its equivalent between the drums 18 and 23 in terms of a direct reading of oil or'other fluid pressure. This result is attained by the gage 40 which indicates the pressure resulting from any given adjustment of the ltilting box 34 and swash plate 33 of the motor 26, so that by setting such tilting box and swash plate to a point at which the pressure corresponding to a predetermined pull is indicated, on the lgage 40, the amount of tension desiredupon a given rope 41 or its equivalent will be accurately .produced by the machine. If the gage 40 is of the recording type, as is preferred, the tension developed upon the rope 41 during a given period of operation will bel recorded upon the chart of A the gage, and maybe interpreted in terms of pull upon said rope. As a matter of fact, the gage 40 itselflmay be graduated in such a way that it will indicate the pull in pounds to which the rope 41 is subjected.

In any case the rope is prestretched to a predetermined or maximum degree during and in and splice the same after said ropes have been Y* in service for a very short time. The present novel arrangement also avoids the necessity for using testing machines for stretching the ropes after completion thereof, and makesthe stretch- 4ing operation a continuous one which takes place during the manufacture of the rope. The production of a .rope of maximum efficiency is thus greatly simplified. and the necessity for rehandlng of the rope4 after it has been put in service is avoided.

In further indication of the advantages which are' inherent in the novel rope stretching or equivalent machine, it may be stated that with existing methods used in attempting to prestretch wire or other rope, it is rst necessary to make a nished cable or rope and then to mount it in such a way that a pull is exerted on one end 0f said rope, for instance, by means of a standard form of testing machine. This method produces a localized stress with the result that the rope is stretched only near its ends. It accordingly is necessary, after the initial pull has been exerted, to release the load and to develop a second pull upon said rope, this in turn beingreleased so that the stretching operation, under such condition, becomes a series of pulls and releases in alternate succession. In this way, the stress is gradually exerted over additional lengths of the rope, and tends in timeto reach the `middle thereof, but as a matter of fact resulting in what may be termed a tapered load on the rope in question; in other words, a maximum strain exerted at both ends of the rope is gradually tapered oi toward the middle thereof.

With the novel machine every part of the rope or its equivalent is stretched at the time it is being made, whereby the stretch is eiciently and uniformly distributed and results in a very much improved rope or the like. Not only is the rope efciently pre-stretched, and the stretching under load practically eliminated, but at the same time the modulus of elasticity is greatly increased. In addition the normal tendency of the rope to coil, when removed from the drum, is eliminated to a considerable extent, it having been found that rope pre-stretched upon the novel machine, will lie perfectly flat when strung out for erection purposes. This, oi course, facilitates the handling of the rope and consequently reduces the cost of installation correspondingly.

All of these advantageous features have important bearing upon the use of the rope for such purposes as elevators, conveyors and other installations where stretching of the rope results in annoyance and ofttimes considerable expense incurred in taking down the rope, removing a section thereof and resplicing it in order to bring said rope to the proper length. ln the case of conveyors it is also frequently designed to have the conveyor bring the work or its equivalent to an exact position relatively to a given operation. Obviously, if the rope stretches in use this result can not be obtained; with rope prestretched on the novel machine under discussion', the rope will at all times'iunction accurateiy in accordance with any predetermined plan of operation.

While the invention is particularly adapted for wire rope making machines and the like, it is also capable of emcient use in connection with' other types of :machinesf As an illustrative example of this fact Figs. 3,4 and 5 show the invention embodied in a paper winding machine, the drawings showing portions of the winding drums 18a and 23a thereof. The'drive as' shown comprises a hydraulic motor 21a. corresponding to the motor or B-end 2l of the machine lrst described, and a hydraulic motor 26a corresponding to the motor or B-end 26 of said rst machine and likewise provided with an adjustable tilting box and swash plate movable to di'erent positions by means of a hand Wheel 38a and associated mechanism 39a for. instance orv the type previously referred to. The motor 21a is connected preferably by means oi suitable reduction gearing 20a with the shaft 19a of the winding drum 18a, and the motor 26a is similarly connected by means of suitable reduction gearing 25a with the shaft 24a of the drum 23a. The motors 21a and 26a are connected with each other .and with a fluid pressure pump similar to the pump 22, in series, by pipes 27a, the pump being omitted in Figs. 3 and 4 as unnecessary to the illustration. For the'purpose of quickly stopping the drums 18a and-23d,

by-pass connection 42 extends between two of the pipes 27a in advance of the motors 21a and 26a for instance as shown in Fig. 3; in addition, a 3-way by-pass valve 43 is provided for directing the iiuid either to the motors 21d and 26a or through the by-pass connection 42 when quick stoppage of the drums 18a and 23a is to be effected.

When the valve 43 is in the position illustrated in Fig. 3 the pressure fluid, such as oil, passes through the same for circulation through the motors 21a and 26a, but when the handle of said valve is shifted through an arc ol the iiuid is deflected to the by-pass connection 42, so that the motors 21a and 26a are cut out and stopped.

In practice the pump similar to the pump 22 operates the motor or B-ends 21a and 26a in the manner previously set forth, and said motors in turn operate the drums 18a and 23a through the medium of the reduction gearing 20a and 25a respectively. As the roll of paper being wound is supported on the two drums 18a and 23a there will be a slight slip ordinarily produced between said roll of paper and drums which develops undesirable variations in the tension in the web of paper and causes the roll to be wound unevenly or to be otherwise objectionably affected. With the instant arrangement these disadvantages are overcome by adjusting the motor 25a so that its speed of operation is different relatively to that of the other motor 20a; the` adjustment is such that the relative rotative speeds of the drums 18a and 23a is such as to produce the necessary tension in the web of paper for producing the most emcient roll and to eliminate all variations due to slippage and to avoid any other objectionable features therein. llt will, of course, be understood that if the roll is to be wound hard this result may be secured by properly adjusting the speed of operation of the motor 26a.

The novel drive described above does'away with the necessity for belt and belt pulley drives heretciore used and enables the two drums 18a and 23a to be driven at fixed ratios relatively to each other and eliminates all variations in the roll heretofore due to belt slip. Ii for any reason it should become necessary to quickly stop the drums 18a and 23a this may be done by adjusting the by-pass valve 43 to deflect the pressure uid to the by-pass connection- 42. The novel drive enables the winding to be accomplished with maximum eciency and with the danger of injury to the web of paper during such winding reduced to a minimum, if not completely eliminated. v r

While the invention, in its illustrated forms, is shown and described in connection with wire stranding and paper winding machines, it will be obvious that it may be used with equal emciency in connection with other types of machinespre- Santing the same or similar problems.

Various changes in the specidd forms shown and described may be made within the scope oi the claims without departing from the spirit oi the invention.

We clainnl. Thecombination of a pair of capstan drums located in spaced alinexnent and adapted to jointly propel an element having lineal continuity, a hydraulic driving gear for actuating saiddrums comprising e. fluid pressure pump, a pair of hy- \draulic motors connected with each other and when and if this should become necessary, a with said pump in series, driving nnections between said motors and said drums, one of said motors having a relatively higherop'erating speed than the other whereby said drums are operated at relatively different speeds, to develop a tensional pull upon said element between said drums, whereby said element is prestretched, and means operatively effected by the motor of relatively higher operating speed for visibly indicating the tension being exerted upon said element.

2. The combination of a pair of capstan drums located in spaced alinement and adapted to jointly propel an element having lineal continuity, a hydraulic driving gear for actuating said drums comprising a fluid pressure pump, a

pair of hydraulic motors connected with each.

other and with said pump in series, driving connections between said motors and said drums, one of said motors having a relatively higher operating speed than the other whereby said drums are operated at relatively different speeds, to develop a tensional pull upon said element between said drums whereby said element is prestretched, and a pressure gage operatively affected by the fasest operating motor for visibly indicating the tension being exerted on saidlelement.

3. In a wire rope stranding machine, a rotatable spider, driving means for rotating said spider, a control die, a pair of capstan drums in spaced alinement about and between which the stranded rope passes after it leaves said die, and a hydraulic gear for operating said drums at relatively diil'erent speeds comprising a fluid pressure pump and differential hydraulic motors connected with each and with said pump in series, said motors being arranged to develop tension in said rope to stretch the same as it passes from one drum vto the other.

4. In a wire rope stranding machine, a rotatable spider, driving means for rotating said spider, a control die, a pair of capstan drums in spaced alinement about and between which the stranded rope passes after it leaves said die, a hydraulic gear for operating said drums at relatively different speeds comprising a fluid pressure pump and different hydraulic motors connected with each and with said pump in series, said motors being arranged to develop tension in said rope to stretch the same as it passes from one drum to the other, and means for visibly indicating the amoimt oi tension developed. Y

5. In a wire rope stranding machine, a rotatable spider, driving means for rotating said spider, a control die, a capstan drum lfor drawing then stranded rope through said die, a second capstan drum to which the rope passes from the first drum, a'hydraulic gear for operating said drums comprising a fluid pressure pump and a pair of hydraulic motors connected with each other and with said pump in series, and means for adjusting one of said motors to operate at a relatively higher speed whereby said second drum is driven at a greater rotative speed than the first drum to develop tension in said rope to stretch the same as it passes from the rst drum to the second.

6. In a wire rope stranding machine, a rotatable spider, driving means for rotating said spider, a control die, a capstan drum for drawing the stranded rope through said die, a second capstan drum to which the rope passes from the rst drum, a hydraulic gear for operating said drums comprising a fluid pressure pump and a pair of hydraulic motors connected with each other and with said pump in series, means for adjusting one of said motors to operate at a relatively higher speed whereby said second drum is driven at a greater rotative speed than the rst drum to develop tension in said'rope to stretch the same as it passes from the iirst drum to the second, and a pressure gage operatively affected by ihe fastest operating motor for visibly indicating the amount of tension developed.

'7. In a wire rope stranding machine, a rotatable spider, driving means for rotating said spider, a control die, means including co-operating mechanisms operating at relatively diiferent speeds for drawing the stranded rope through said die and for developing tension in said rope to stretch the same, and means operatively effected by the fastest operating mechanism for visibly indicating the amount of tension developed on said rope.

8. In a wire rope stranding machine, a rotatable spider, driving means for rotating said spider, a control die, hydraulic means including two hydraulic motors operating at relatively different speedsV for drawing the stranded rope through said die and for developing tension in said rope to stretch the same, and means operatively eected by the fastest operating motor for visibly indicatingthe amount of tension developed on said rope.

9. The combination of means for producing stranded rope, means including co-operating mechanism operating at relatively diierent speeds for stretching the same coincidentally with the progressive production of said rope, and a pressure gage operatively effected by the fastestv operating mechanism for visibly indicating the amount of stretching force developed on said rope.

ARTHUR L. ELLIS. DANIEL R. FRANCIS. 

